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Life Album
For
Barbara Fournie

Created by Carla Libby Gentry
For Nursing 4405
Aging of Self and Others

Early Childhood
• Barbara Libby was born on December 12, 1918 and is the
youngest of 7 children born to Merton Rudolph Libby and
Edna Ione Jenkinson Libby.

• 1918 was a the year of a virulent influenza epidemic.
Barbara’s mother contracted the flu and died several days
after Barbara’s birth.

• Coming from a large family, that faced lots of challenges, the
Libbys stuck together and Barbara describes the bond between
family members and the outside as “the Libby’s against the
world.”

• Barbara spent her early years with grandmother and
grandfather Jenkinson in Glen Lake, Minnesota. Barbara’s
father lived nearby and kept the older children with him.

Cousin Bruce
• As a child,
Barbara was close
to her cousin
Bruce. Bruce and
his step mother
Hazel lived near
Grandma J. and
the extended
family.

Siblings
“I’m not like any of them”
• Barbara’s older sister
Ione took a role in
caring for her “baby”
sister.

• Barbara describes her
relationship with her
brothers and sisters as
distant because she
spent so many years
away from the family
being raised first by
her grandmother then
her great aunt.

Childhood
• Barbara was a
precocious child and
at age 6, her
grandmother and
grandfather could no
longer handle her, so
she went to live with
her old maid Great
Aunt, Dr. Orianna
McDaniel and her
housemate, Dr.
Martha Morehead.

Childhood
• Sometimes Aunt Hazel
would pick her up for the
weekends. Aunt Hazel
would cook for Barbara
• Barbara was raised by all the foods she liked,
two old maid doctors, like Lemon Ice Box Pie.
who often wondered,
“what do we do with this
• Aunt Hazel also helped to
child?” Especially when
Barbara asked difficult make Barbara’s ill
questions. fitting clothes fit her
better.
• Barbara describes her
childhood as not being • Dr. Moorhead, or Doctor,
particularly happy as Barbara called her,
because it was different would take her on house
from the other children calls and Barbara would
around her and it was stay in the car. Or on
unusual to be apart from
some occasions she would
the rest of the family.
spend this time with a
woman named Mrs.
• Barbara would spend the Allen, until Doctor
weekend with her returned from treating
brothers and sisters if her patients.
father picked her up for
the weekend.

Growing Up
• Barbara describes
her life with her
great aunt as
being full of
humor and noted
an absence of • Barbara was a self
conflict. sufficient child, she was
expected to get herself up
• Barbara admits to and off to school on
being a difficult time. She spent sometime
child and was during the day with the
often sent to her housekeeper, Marie.
room to bed. She
jokes about
spending most of • If she wanted something,
her childhood in she would just ask . Her
bed. needs were met.

Childhood:
Erikson’s Stages 1-4
• In spite of loosing her mother at birth, Barbara had a
• Basic Trust vs. Basic family that cared for her and allowed her to develop
trust in humanity and hope for the future.

Mistrust
• Barbara’s independent nature developed during this

• Autonomy vs. Shame time. Having so many caregivers and changing
environments prepared her well for her the
adaptations she would have throughout her life.
and Doubt
• Barbara decided in early childhood she wanted to be
a nurse. Barbara has always been purposeful in her
• Initiative vs. Guilt actions and fearless. Although not a goal setter, she
is able to meet those imposed from outside herself.
These skills were learned in childhood.

• Industry vs. Inferiority • Barbara has been known as describing herself as
never having met a stranger. She was able to move
into a more independent life as seen in her
adolescence.

Adolescence

• Barbara’s 13th year was a difficult year for her. It was
during this year that her grandfather Jenkinson, to
whom she was very close, died.

• Barbara was given no preparation for this event .
Nobody told her what to expect. Barbara remembers
her Aunt Hazel taking her to the casket to her dead
grandfather. She didn’t know what to expect and
found the experience to be one that has formed her
attitudes toward funerals to this day. To this day,
Barbara does not go to funerals. Barbara describes
viewing the body as “inane.”

• When Barbara was 13 ½ she had an
emergency appendectomy.

• Soon after her appendectomy she
had surgery to correct the deviated
septum that she obtained during a
major childhood accident when she
caught her toe on a slanted
retraining wall and fell on her face.

Discovering Who I Am
• During her early
teens, Barbara
acquired a
boyfriend who
carried her books
home from school
for her, but she
never took him
home to meet
Auntie and
Doctor. Barbara
didn’t think they
needed to know.

First Job
• Barbara felt she needed more spending money so
applied for a job she found in the want ads. She
took the street car to the interview and found out
the job was doing house work. Barbara didn’t
want to do house work, so when she returned
home, Doctor asked her about the interview.
Barbara said “I didn’t get the job.”

• Soon after that interview, Doctor found Barbara
a job caring for one of her patients who need
some help as she recovered from a fracture.
Barbara learned basic caregiving-nursing skills
and helped the woman with her business, which
was selling dresses. Barbara indicated that she
was pretty good at selling dresses. She was 15.

Early Faith
Development
• Although she had to attend Church every Sunday with Dr.
Morehead, Barbara said “it didn’t stick.”

• It would not be until her elderhood, that Barbara would get
back involved with a formal faith community.

• Barbara didn’t go to Sunday School because the girls in her
class went to the exclusive Northrup school and didn’t accept
her and commented on her clothes and shoes. Instead she
hung out at the YWCA across the street and made her way to
the assigned pew in time for the Sunday worship service.
Doctor never knew she didn’t attend Sunday School. Auntie
never attended church.

• Sometimes she attended Youth Group on Sunday nights, but for
the most part, Barbara did not go out at night.

Life on the Farm
• Her favorite time during her adolescence was going to the farm in the summers
when she was 16-18. (1933-1935)

• At the farm, Barbara was responsible for keeping the household running with a
wood stove and no running water. She was to cook for her brothers who ran the
farm.

• Barbara points out that without the experiences on her family’s farm, she would not
have been able to do her work as a Public Health nurse in rural Mississippi later in
her life.

• Barbara speaks fondly of learning how to fish and going swimming as well as the
work involved with cooking for her brothers and father.

• Cooking errors were fed to Keiler’s Pigs.

• Barbara helped the family out by listening in on the party phone line and finding
out when the neighbors planned to go to market so her brothers could beat the
neighbors to market with their strawberries.

Rural Living for a “City Girl”
• The butter churn went to town on each trip and
when the churn came back, there was always
butter. This was a trick Barbara learned from
her father.

• Having just learned to drive, Barbara was once
sent to town and had the boy she dated, who
worked at the grocery, carry the groceries to the
car and back her car out for her because she
had not yet learned how to do that. The young
man was none the wiser and Barbara was able
to complete the important task assigned by her
father.

• After learning to cook on the wood stove,
Barbara once baked a loaf of Orange Bread,
thinking that it would last for two meals. Her
brother Paul came in from the barn mid
morning and ate 1/3 of the loaf, commenting
on how good it tasted. Soon after her brother
Theron came in and ate another 1/3 of the loaf.
Her father came in a few minutes later and
finished off the orange loaf. Barbara was
distraught by this unplanned eating of her
orange loaf. Barbara soon learned that what
worked in the Cities didn’t work on the farm.

Transition to Adulthood
• Barbara had wanted to be a nurse from early
childhood, but hated school.

• After graduation from West High School in
Minneapolis. Barbara had no real plans and thought
about getting a job.

• Doctor brought home the forms to sign up for business
school and told Barbara that she needed to go to
business school or enroll in nurses training at Etile
Hospital. The next day, Barbara enrolled in the Etile
Hospital, RN program.

• Auntie and Doctor were determined that Barbara
obtain an education.

Adolescence:
Erikson’s Stage 5
• Identity vs. Role • During this time in her
Confusion life, Barbara developed a
sense of female role
identity that moved
beyond the typical “wife
and mother”. She learned
skills that would help in
later in her life as a public
health nurse and obtained
a sense of purpose for her
life.

Getting and Education
• “Libby, I raised You.” was
the phrase often noted by
her nursing school
classmate Jill.

• Before Nursing school,
Barbara had not
experienced going out
for a coke and burger
and knew little of
fashion and style like
other young women her
age. Jill helped educate
her in these ways.

Love and Marriage
• Barbara went on a blind
date with William (Bill)
Fournie and found that
they had met as children
in Glen Lake.
• Barbara completed her
nurses training and Bill
and Barbara were
married and remained
happily married until
Bill’s death in 1987.
• Barbara describes Bill as
a calm, cool, quiet and
collected individual.

Seeing the US During
the Second World War
• During the “War Years” while
her husband Bill was stationed
at various bases in the US,
Barbara tagged along and
found near by nursing jobs and
moved frequently

• As a Midwesterner, she did not
experience the lack of certain
rationed items. Barbara
shared her ration coupons with
those she met when she lived on
the coasts and would send
rationed items to former
contacts after she had moved on
to a new location or went back
to Minnesota between Bill’s
assignments.

Life’s Challenges
• In 1947 Barbara suffered
from peritonitis and had
to have a partial
hysterectomy. The new
“wonder drug” penicillin
saved her life.

Yankees Move South
• After the War, Bill and Barbara decided to move
to Mississippi where Bill had some relatives. It was
a way to avoid the ice and snow of Minnesota.

• Barbara worked as a Public Health nurse in
Benton County, Mississippi and other surrounding
counties in Northern Mississippi. Her work focused
on Maternal and Child health.

• As Barbara describes her work she quotes Joseph
Campbell. “I found my bliss.”

Adulthood
• Barbara and Bill enjoyed making
a home together.
• They enjoyed collecting the
furnishings from local antique
shops and inherited heirlooms from
family members.
• Barbara describes her marriage as
happy.
• Barbara lived in Holly Springs,
Mississippi for 45 years.

The Challenges of Addiction and
Illness
• 34 years into their marriage, Bill faced his
Alcoholism. The possibility of divorce after 34
years of marriage was Barbara’s biggest
challenge.

• Living a Sober life was important to both
Barbara and Bill and they were active in
promoting a Sober lifestyle during the 70’s and
80’s.

• In the late 1980’s Bill experienced several health
problems with led to his death in 1987. This was a
very sad and challenging time in Barbara’s life.

Adulthood:
Erikson’s Stages 6-7
• Intimacy vs. Isolation • Barbara was able to form an
intimate and loving relationship
with her husband Bill.

• Generativity vs. • Although they could not have
Stagnation children, Barbara was able to
leave a legacy on several
generations by improving the
health of rural Mississippians
through her public health work.
This stage continues into the
present with her current
activities in retirement.

Discovering My Spiritual Self
• After Barbara’s move
from Holly Springs,
Mississippi to Oxford,
Mississippi in 1992, she
became involved with
the forming the
Unitarian Universalist
fellowship in that
community.

• In 1997, the UUA
granted a charter to this
fellowship and Barbara
Fournie is a charter
member.

Moving from Oxford to
Tupelo
• In 1999, Barbara
moved from Oxford,
Mississippi to Tupelo,
Mississippi to the
Traceway Retirement
Community.

• She currently resides
in an independent
apartment in the
Manor and leads an
active lifestyle.

Going Strong at 84

• In March of 2003, Barbara bought a new Toyota
Prius. The environmental impact of the hybrid was
important to her.

• Barbara expected to be driving into her 90’s when she
bought her new car.

• Barbara really enjoys her new car.

• She received her first speeding ticket earlier this year!

Chronic Illness isn’t
going to slow me down
• Barbara was recently diagnosed with COPD.

• Barbara quit smoking about 20 years ago. She
says she enjoyed every cigarette she ever smoked.
She is not bitter about her condition and she does
not let her condition slow her down. Although
she is on oxygen, she takes it with her and uses a
“buggy” to assist her in walking long distances,
not because she is not mobile, but because she
tires easily if she has to stand or walk long
distances.

Summary
• Barbara describes her life as a good one.
• She enjoys the freedom she has to do what she
wants and thinks that staying one age would be
boring.

• Her biggest fear is loosing her mental capacities
and not continuing to develop as a person.
• She thought that this life review interview was
fascinating and very interesting. “I remembered
things that I forgot I remembered.”

Elderhood:
Erikson’s Stage 8
• Barbara was chosen for this project
• Ego Integrity vs. specifically because she exemplifies
someone who is aging with a high level
Despair of ego integrity.
– She is wise and shares her wisdom with
others.
– She is realistic about her health and
healthcare.
– She has accepted her mortality and lives
her life to its fullest.
– She is accepting of her physical
limitations and adapts well to working
with what she has.
– She has made plans to handle new
limitations that the aging process will
present.
– She is happy with her life and has no
regrets.

Credits
• Special Thank to Barbara
Fournie for sharing her life
with me and the wonderful
weekend in Tupelo.

• Photographs and Mementos
– �ݺ�ߣ 3: Photograph of Bruce Jenkinson and Barbara Libby circa
1922
– �ݺ�ߣ 4: Photograph of Ione Libby holding Barbara Libby circa 1919
– �ݺ�ߣ 5: Photograph of Barbara Libby age 5, circa 1923
– �ݺ�ߣ 6: Photograph of Barbara Libby, age 10, circa 1928

Credits
• Photographs and Mementos
(cont.)
– �ݺ�ߣ 7: Fleur de Lis Watch pins given to Barbara by her
grandmother Jenkinson.
– �ݺ�ߣ 9: Cover of porcelain box that sat on Barbara’s mother’s
(Edna Jenkinson Libby) dresser. Given to Barbara by her
grandmother Jenkinson.
– �ݺ�ߣ 11: Photograph, Barbara Libby circa 1935
– �ݺ�ߣs 12-15: Microsoft Clip Art
– �ݺ�ߣ 18: Photograph, Barbara Libby, nursing school graduation,
circa 1938
– �ݺ�ߣ 19: Photograph: Mr. and Mrs. William (Bill) Fournie,
wedding photo, circa 1938.
– �ݺ�ߣ 20: Photograph, Barbara Fournie, circa 1940
– �ݺ�ߣ 21: Microsoft Clip Art
– �ݺ�ߣ 22: Map of Mississippi, AAA
– �ݺ�ߣ 23: Flow Blue Plate from Grandmother Libby’s Attic

Credits
• Photographs and Mementos (cont.)
– �ݺ�ߣ 26: Article from the Oxford Eagle newspaper, Thursday, December 3,
1989.
– �ݺ�ߣ 27: Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice –
http://uuoxford.com/
– �ݺ�ߣ 28: Traceway Retirement Community Entrance Sign –
www.umssm.org/traceway.htm
– �ݺ�ߣ 29: Photo of Toyota Prius – www.cars.com,
http://www.cars.com/carsapp/national/?srv=parser&act=display&mknm=Toy
– �ݺ�ߣ 30: Plate was a wedding gift and part of a collection of eight
others in various colors with the same floral pattern.

• This Life Album for Barbara Fournie prepared by Carla
Libby Gentry in partial fulfillment of course
requirements for Nursing 4405, Aging of Self and
Others, Professor Julie Clawson, Ph.D.

• Due, October 13, 2003

�ݺ�ߣ

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